Long'an News | Long'an Guangzhou Successfully Hosted “Opportunities and Challenges of China and Canada’s Investment and Trade in the New Era – Seminar on Enterprises Expanding into Canada”

In recent years, the economic and trade relations between China and Canada have been gradually strengthening. In order to help Chinese enterprises seize the investment and trade opportunities in Canada, and to enhance their understanding of Canada’s advantageous industries and trade needs, on June 11, 2025, the Guangzhou branch of Longan Guangzhou United CITIC Bank and the Huagang East Branch of CITIC Securities in Guangzhou jointly organized the “Opportunities and Challenges in China-Canada Investment and Trade in the New Era – Seminar on Enterprises Going Global to Canada”. Two experienced experts in the field of Chinese enterprises going global to Canada were specially invited to give presentations: Dr. Liu Jiangyun, an international political risk analyst and researcher at the Canada Research Center of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies; and Dr. Robin Shaban, a well-known Canadian economist and government policy expert, as well as a partner at 2R Strategy, a strategic consulting firm.

Ge Xiangrong, Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Longan Guangzhou and Senior Partner, and Mr. Yang Haochi, Product Manager of International Business at the Guangzhou branch of CITIC Bank, delivered speeches at the event. Lawyer Li Wenxiao, Senior Partner of Longan Guangzhou, Lawyer Ou Yingshi, Partner of Longan Guangzhou and Director of the Sanctions and Double Anti-Defense Committee, along with Dr. Robin Shaban, Dr. Liu Jiangyun, and Mr. Luo Qinlin, Corporate Account Manager at the Huarun Tianhe Branch of CITIC Bank in Guangzhou, held a roundtable discussion on the opportunities and challenges for Chinese enterprises going global to Canada. Lawyer Pan Yetong, Deputy Director and Secretary-General of the Sanctions and Double Anti-Defense Committee of Longan Guangzhou, served as the host of the event. The event attracted over 700 lawyers and business representatives, both online and offline, to participate.

Lawyer Pan Yetong

Deputy Director and Secretary-General of the Sanctions and Double Anti-Defense Committee of Longan Guangzhou

At the beginning of the event, Lawyer Pan Yetong welcomed all the business representatives and lawyers who participated in the seminar on Chinese enterprises going global to Canada, both online and offline. She said that Canada, as a developed country with rich resources and an active innovation ecosystem, has become increasingly close to China in its economic and trade relations in recent years. With the continuous development of China-Canada relations, this seminar will focus on how to effectively seize opportunities in the Canadian market, and how to establish a comprehensive system for policy forecasting and legal compliance for enterprises going global. Together, they will discuss the opportunities and challenges in China-Canada economic and trade investment in the new era.

1. Speeches at the Event

Lawyer Ge Xiangrong

Deputy Director and Senior Partner of the Management Committee of Longan Guangzhou

Lawyer Ge Xiangrong welcomed all the guests and leaders who attended the event, including Dr. Robin Shaban, Dr. Liu Jiangyun, Mr. Yang Haochi, and Mr. Gao Chen, Senior Business Manager at the China Office in British Columbia, Canada. He mentioned that in recent years, the economic ties between China and Canada have become closer. As Canada’s second-largest trading partner and source of imports and exports, the economic cooperation between the two countries is showing good trends. Canada’s stable political environment, well-developed legal system, high-quality labor force, and rich natural resources create opportunities for Chinese enterprises to invest and trade. This event brought together experienced experts who have valuable insights and experience in the field of Chinese enterprises going global to Canada. Finally, he wished the seminar a successful outcome.

Mr. Yang Haochi

Product Manager of International Business at the Guangzhou branch of CITIC Bank

Mr. Yang Haochi said that, although from data and intuition, the Canadian market is not a popular area for Chinese enterprises to invest in. However, under the current international political and economic environment, he is very interested in discussing the opportunities and challenges in the Canadian market with the guests at the seminar. Then, Mr. Yang shared details about “cross-border financial services solutions for enterprises going global” during the preparation and operation stages.

2. Special Presentations

Dr. Liu Jiangyun

International political risk analyst and researcher at the Canada Research Center of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies

Dr. Liu Jiangyun presented a presentation titled “Review and Outlook on China-Canada Relations”. Starting from the latest developments in China-Canada relations, Dr. Liu analyzed the good prospects and real challenges in China-Canada relations from 2015 to 2018. He pointed out that at this time, China-Canada relations showed a pattern of “political coldness and economic warmth” – political relations were cold, but economic and trade relations grew. Dr. Liu emphasized that after Prime Minister Mark Carney took office, his pragmatic style, positive stance towards China, and warming relations with China could bring about a series of opportunities. However, China-Canada relations still face challenges such as the minority government in Canada, non-priority status in China, and the normalization of the “political coldness and economic warmth” pattern. In the future, areas such as oil, electric vehicles and related industries, liquefied natural gas, clean energy technology, agriculture and food security, artificial intelligence, and CPTPP expansion are worth attention for Chinese enterprises to invest in.

Dr. Robin Shaban

Partner at 2R Strategy, a strategic consulting firm

Dr. Robin Shaban discussed Canada’s trade policies, economic structure, and future prospects for China-Canada relations. Dr. Shaban pointed out that Canada currently faces challenges such as productivity crises, insufficient market competition, and housing crises. However, there are also many opportunities, such as infrastructure development, business opportunities brought by the aging population, and potential for technology exports. She emphasized that there is room for cooperation between China and Canada in trade agreements and investment policies, but they also face challenges related to foreign direct investment policies. Then, Dr. Shaban proposed three possible scenarios for China-Canada relations in the future and called for deeper cooperation in multilateral areas, while being cautious in sensitive economic areas.

3. Roundtable Discussion

During the roundtable discussion, under the leadership of Lawyer Ou Yingshi, Dr. Robin Shaban, Dr. Liu Jiangyun, Lawyer Li Wenxiao, and Mr. Luo Qinlin, they discussed the opportunities and challenges for Chinese enterprises going global to Canada, focusing on the development of the Canadian electric vehicle industry chain, artificial intelligence cooperation, and trends in Chinese enterprise investment.

LONGAN

This “Seminar on Opportunities and Challenges in China-Canada Investment and Trade in the New Era – Seminar on Enterprises Going Global to Canada” provided an open professional exchange platform for lawyers and business representatives through deep cooperation with experts, scholars, and financial institutions. It also provided targeted practical guidance for Chinese enterprises to explore the Canadian market. In the future, Longan Guangzhou will further strengthen Longan lawyers’ professional advantages in cross-border investment and trade legal services. With a professional team and a global cooperation network, it will provide more precise, professional, and efficient legal support for enterprises going global.